The Cleveland Cavaliers are not off to the start they envisioned this season. Could that lead them to make a bold trade in the coming days? And if so, will that mean Max Strus is heading elsewhere before ever playing a game for them this season?
The options for the Cavaliers on the trade market are plentiful; seemingly every team has players available to deal. Mock trades are coming fast and furious as fans and media members try to solve Cleveland's woes this season. Since trading for a healthy toe for Darius Garland is off the table, the changes have to come elsewhere.
The barrier to Koby Altman pulling off a deal for Cleveland is that the team's payroll is the highest in the league, many millions above the second luxury tax apron. That puts significant restrictions on how the Cavaliers can execute trades. Of particular note is that they cannot take back more money than they send out, and they cannot aggregate two or more players together in a trade to bring back a higher salary.
That limits the Cavaliers to trading away a single player with enough salary to entirely cover the salary coming back. Doing that with a minimum player is impossible, and trading away someone like Dean Wade only gives them $6.6 million to work with.
Max Strus could be traded away
That is why Max Strus has come up a lot in trade discussions. He makes $15.9 million this season, a perfectly fine number for a high-volume movement shooter like Strus who brings real defensive value. He is a player who fits extremely well onto the Cavaliers and would likely do the same on most other teams. He is a positive value to trade.
He also has not played a single game for the Cavaliers this season as he recovers from a foot fracture. He has progressed to doing some on-court drills, but he is still not ready for game action. His return is a few weeks out, and his absence is an underrated part of the team's struggles this season.
Even so, the Cavaliers may feel that Strus is somewhat replaceable. Sam Merrill is also struggling with an injury, but is a knockdown shooter who survives defensively. De'Andre Hunter can get up a high volume of shots and is big enough not to be a defensive target in most situations. Jaylon Tyson has become a real NBA rotation player in his second season.
If the Cavaliers want to find an upgrade somewhere on the roster, Max Strus and his $15.9 million is a way to do it. That allows them to trade for anyone making less than that amount, which includes anyone who signed a Mid-Level contract over the last few seasons. Names like Bobby Portis, PJ Washington, Corey Kispert, Herb Jones and Coby White all make less than Strus.
Is trading Strus a no-brainer? Of course not. It's not even more likely than not. The Cavaliers likely want to get the whole band together for a few weeks before making a major move.
But with December 15th the unofficial beginning to NBA trade season, and the Cavaliers still wobbling in the middle of the Eastern Conference as the season ticks on, their need for a change may outweigh their patience. If they move toward making a trade, Max Strus could be on the move -- before he ever plays another game for the Cavaliers.
The end could have already come.